hey guys wanna get some tips or advice on how to buff a single stage pearl i got some orange peel the color is firethorne red pearl from tcp global there is no clear coat as it is mixed in with the paint

 

You buff it the same as everything else, you can sand single stage with like 1500 to 2500 (2500 being the easiest to poilsh off).

 

biggest problem with cutting and buffing a single stage:

all the UV protection that is built into the single stage could be compromised if u cut too much.

 

very true, Its deff a learned skill.. I havent used to much single stage and dont like it much.. I always use the PPG stuff and havent had the best outcome with it, Some single stage I have used has taken a week to 2 weeks to dry, Even after being baked in our very nice paint booths

 

My advice to you is don't paint your car single stage and expect to cut/buff it lol. When spraying single stage you just wanna get it layed out nice and even and have it look decent.

You risk like gorilla said cutting too much and ruining the UV protection. It will look shiny for a few days or weeks but eventually it will dull out again. Base coat/Clear coat is the way to go man.

 

but ive read that single stage pearl cant really be buffed cause of the pearl flakes in it

 

single stage pearl and metalics CANT BE SANDED AND BUFFED you will sand away the flake or pearl. If its a solid color single stage with no flake or pearl it can be but you will lose the uv resistance like said above

 

this is why single stage paint jobs suck ***... base clear all the way

 

single stage or BC/CC applications the UV protection is compromised once u cut and buff. your taking away mils, anytime u plan on wetsanding or buffing, throw atleast and extra coat on there to have material to sand off and still have your minimum mils for protection.

 

Just learned something. THANKS!!!

 

don't be worried if you see the color of your car on your wool pad, too. Normal.

 

Actually, what You should do if it is already shot in single stage is scuff the whole car down with grey or red scotch brite and once its all scuffed well and cleaned, clear the hell out of it, like 4 good coats. Then cut and buff to your hearts desire.

 

dont use a red to re-clear, go atleast 800 or higher and be carefull level it off and reclear like KoNEY said

 

You can actually use a red and be fine, or if it were a solid color not a metallic or pearl you can even buzz it with 320 on a finishing DA with an interface pad. However since it IS a pearl/metallic finish you are gonna want to remove the least amount of material as possible so you don't get blotches of exposed aramid material (i.e., exposed pearl flakes or flakes of exposed aluminum in a metallic). I would recommend just lightly scuffing with a red pad or heavy with a grey pad, not sandpaper as you may remove more than desired. Don't worry about leveling the surface or making it super smooth, you just need it dull so the clear can bite. After scuffing and thouroughly cleaning and masking, lay down your clear. I recommend PPG Deltron Shop Line clear which is a 5 year clear or go all out and use PPG Concept clear part number 2021. It is high solids clear and is a 10 year clear. Lay down as much clear as to how smooth you want the finish to be. 2-3 coats will be fine for a 1500 to 2000 paper and 3000 Trizact cut and will buff easily. Do 5 coats for an 800 grit blocking and then finish with 1500 or 2000 grit and finally Trizact 3000 for a super slick job. I DO NOT recommend the latter for a daily driven car, as repeated washing/waxing and sun will break your heart eventually, especially if that red is dark and rich, lol.

Also, a few things to keep in mind as you do this....
1. STAY AWAY from edges and sharp lines, you WILL NOT cut these areas as much as say your roof.
2. If it is a daily driven car, then only really worry about the area from the mouldings up when cutting and buffing, as it is 75% of the body and the extra effort goes unnoticed below the mouldings/rockers.
3. DO NOT cut any areas that are too tight to buff. For example, if you are working oddly on an area cutting by hand, do you think you are gonna get a 10'' buffing pad on it?
4. ALWAYS keep your buffer perpendicular to the panel you are buffing, as in don't lean the buffer up on one side to hit a small area, always keep the pad flat on the panel.
5. Buff only one panel at a time.
6. Use good quality compounds, such as 3M Perfect-It Extra Cut, you may have to follow with a polishing glaze for swirl removal but its better to have it not dull back after washing.
7. Don't be afraid of heat. After all, the heat tranferred to the panel means your actually buffing, not just applying compound like wax.
8. Use a variable speed buffer and set the speed where your comfortable buffing, not too fast as to burn through, but fast enough so you don't have to setup a mailbox by your car.
9. The polisher that is 10'' and has two handles and a wool pad and oscillates around for waxing IS NOT A BUFFER!!!
10. Be careful on your bumpers, the heat DOES NOT spread out across the plastic bumper like it does your metal hood. You can burn these easily of careless.

That pretty much sums it up, below is a car I shot in DuPont Ful-Thane urethane single stage and then cut with 320 and cleared because the Inka Orange simply wasn't mixable in BC/CC.